A special patrol party of the Border Security Force (BSF) that went to check suspicious activity near the international border in Kutch district before the break of dawn on Wednesday opened fire, before apprehending two young Pakistani fishermen and three boats near the Harami Nallah area of Kutch district of Gujarat. Five of their accomplices managed to escape, official sources said.

The patrol party from the 79 battalion of the BSF was dispatched on two speed boats at 0230 am after alert personnel noticed light and movement near the international border bordering Pakistan near the disputed Sir Creek area. When the patrol neared the international border, they found Pakistanis and their boat about 1.5 kilometers inside the Indian territory, official sources told The Indian Express.

On hearing the approaching patrol boats, the fishermen tried to flee. The patrol party challenged them to stop. “During this process, five rounds were also fired by a BSF personnel from a 9 mm Beretta. A patrol party opens fire, only when threatened,” a BSF official said without elaborating on the issue. The BSF patrol party managed to apprehend two fishermen, while five others managed to flee in one boat. Those apprehended are Abid Ali (19 years) and Mansoor Hassan (22 years). Both are residents of Sujawal district of Sindh in Pakistan.

However, nothing suspicious was found from the seized Pakistanis or their boats. The three fishing boats were about 25 feet in length and were fitted with engines. Among the items seized, the BSF personnel also recovered 150 kilograms of fish, ice-boxes and fishing nets. The entire area where the Pakistanis were found is being thoroughly searched, officials added.

In the year 2017, there have been at least five instances where abandoned Pakistani fishing boats were recovered near the Harami Nallah area near Sir Creek by various BSF patrols. In May this year, six Pakistanis were caught for illegally fishing in Indian waters by the BSF, while in March, the Indian Coast Guard apprehended nine Pakistanis and a boat after they crossed in the international border.